Imagine that you have to leave your country behind and you have to travel hidden in a truck, for long hours, with lots of unknown people, and having to cross the desert in order to meet with your parents again. This is the case of many children that were separated from their parents that came to the U.S looking for opportunities that they could not find in their home countries. Many times parents migrate first to the U.S to get jobs and most of the time they leave their children with relatives while they settle in the U.S. A lot of children have gone and still are going through tough times by crossing the border to reunite with their parents. Another reason is because they try to escape from the ruthless situations that are happening in their …show more content…
Children are very vulnerable when in transit, and are exposed to many dangers before they reach their destiny. As an undocumented migrant, a child will also be more vulnerable to exploitation at destination. Some of the risks that children face are physical abuse, sexual abuse, forced to work, hunger, accidents, and even for drug trafficking. I do not think this is what a child should go through, no children in the world should never go through these horrible experiences. How would you feel if you were in their place? After going through all that affliction would you still try to reach your destiny? Despite all the bad experiences, children are still crossing the border since the desire of being with their parents is immense. A CNN article describes a case of a young Honduran girl who told CNN she risked her life in order to see her parents in Austin. A movie that portrays this issue is La Misma Luna (Under the Same Moon). A single mother, Rosario, leaves her young son Carlitos in the care of his grandmother and illegally crosses the border into the U.S. Although she hopes to eventually make a better life for her son and herself, she toils in a dead-end job as cleaning lady. When Carlitos’ grandmother passes away some years later, the little boy begins a difficult and dangerous journey to join her. Just as in this movie, there are many children who are going through the same problem. Many might think after such a difficult journey children would be safe, but sadly it is not
Like any other family, they immigrated to the U.S. thinking about the American Dream, a better future for their kids and the generations to come. The parents wanted to provide the life they did not have to their children. One example is Carlos mother deciding she was willing to leave Mexico for her son. The book says, “Manuela was hesitant to return to the United States but felt there would be more opportunity for her younger son there… In the United States, school was free…and more demanding” (Davis 43). Manuela did not want to leave, but she knew her son would have a brighter education in the U.S. Later on it also shows the struggles of achieving what they desire because they were illegal. Another example is Oscar himself. Goins, the ROTC commander told Carlos, “you gotta be a U.S. citizen or a permanent resident” (Davis 51). Oscar was trying to enroll in the Army, but unfortunately he could not serve his country like he wished because he had du that he was not legal in the country and would be taking a privilege from U.S.
The basic want for many individuals is to have a better life. Regardless of our socioeconomic status, family background, ethnicity, and so on; we are all trying to improve upon at least one facet of our current situation, in some aspect. Yet, some of toughs who live in the United States take for granted the vast opportunities presented to them. The extreme obliviousness of these individuals, gives them negative biases about immigrants, especially the numerous that cross illegally. In Crossing Arizona, it opens your eyes to the struggles of those crossing the border. Told from both sides, those effected by the illegal immigrants and the illegal immigrants themselves, you can see where the many problems lie. When watching this movie, I was appalled
Imagine one day your mother tells you that she is leaving and is not sure with she will see you again. Imagine growing up only occasionally speaking to your mother on the phone. Immigrants make the decision to leave behind their life and move to a new place mainly because they believe it will be better for them and for the people they care about. The Book of the Unknown Americans and Enrique’s Journey show the advantages and disadvantages of parents leaving their children behind or bringing their children along when they migrate. This decision causes harsh consequences that affect the family immediately and in the future.
He has endured and overcame many fears and struggles, but during this section, we truly acquire an insight of what the little boy is actually like – his thoughts, his opinions, his personality. Contrary to his surroundings, the little boy is vibrant and almost the only lively thing around. I love him! He is awfully appalled by the “bad guys” and shockingly sympathetic toward dead people. For example, when the father raided a house and found food, the little boy suggested that they should thank them because even though they’re dead or gone, without them, the little boy and father would starve. My heart goes out to him because he is enduring things little boys should never go through, even if this novel is just a fictional
I have heard fascinating stories about vans and cars full of Mexicans being pulled over, taken to the border police and deported back to their residence as they attempt to cross the border. Some of them are lucky enough to make it through their journey while some lose their lives. Every year many people try to enter illegally in the United States to get success in their life, to get a better job and sometimes to get united with their families. There is no doubt that the journey of crossing the border is very dangerous and sometimes life threatening. It is understandable when adults are trying to risk their life in search of a better life but when minors take the same attempt and risk their life what are we supposed to do as parents or family? In the film Which Way Home director Rebecca Cammisa shows the journey that many unaccompanied minors attempt with the hope of migrating across the Mexican-U.S. border for a better life is actually a potentially fatal passage. “Each year, the Border Patrol apprehends 100,000 children try to enter the US” (Which Way Home). By showing different consequences of crossing border Cammisa tries to create awareness among parents and even in the children. Parents should not give permission to their children to cross the border and children who have no parents also should not try to cross it. Through her documentary, she tries to educate teenagers and their parents about the risks and dangers of crossing the border illegally. In the documentary Cammisa shows that there are people who know about the possible consequences, but still ignore it, and at the end they regret of taking such an attempt. Through her documentary Cammisa also warns them not to make such decisions because at the end they are not...
Being born into an underdeveloped country and a poor family are like curses. It is every child 's dream to be able to reach their maximum potential and be that significant someone, but certain obstacles such as little family income and a lack of an education can stunt their humanistic growth as a whole. In the documentary film Which Way Home by Rebecca Cammisa, the goal was to explore the different personal perspectives of several unaccompanied minors as they are trying and wishing to successfully crossing the Mexican and U.S. border so they can have a second life living in the promising land of the United States. Throughout the documentary, the most significant topics that were being investigated are: transnational parenting, childhood and work, and the importance of establishing a new life and identity in the United States.
Starting a new life is very problematic for many Central American children that migrate to the United States. There are a lot of difficulties involved in the process to migrate to the United States including the journey to get there. An extremely common way to migrate is by train. Migrants usually take away many life lessons from the journey to the United States such as the generosity and assistance from fellow Central Americans. On the other hand there’s extreme hardships. For example, the many robberies, and gang violence a migrant can face on the journey to the United States. During the trip, migrants learn that they usually cannot take things for granted, especially how scarce food, supplies, and other necessities are.
Joshua Davis writes how on a drive back to Phoenix there was an immigration checkpoint, “Everybody’s heart rate kicked up…and Oscar prepared for the worst. He imagined being torn from his family and dropped across the border” (107). This is a constant fear illegal immigrants live with. Since my parents and oldest brother had no papers, I lived with constant paranoia. I was scared that from one moment to the next my family will be taken from me, and that I would have to grow up in a foster home without them. This fear was always there whenever I saw police, no matter the reason police was there. Illegal immigrants wake up every day with the uncertainty if it will be last day they see their families. I felt the same fear Oscar and the boys felt that day, because it will be horrible to be separated from a
In order to bypass these obstacles, the children would always talk and think of their reasons and goals for coming to the United States, family, economic need, love, and happiness, were some of the main reasons most of these children were facing these dangers knowing that they had a 50/50 chance of making it alive. These children had a lot of courage to think of going this far knowing all the possible consequences. They were willing to do anything it would take in order to receive all the freedom and happiness they always dreamed of.
Specifically, one of those was the insecurity felt by the children as they traveled through Mexico. At one point in the film, the boys talked about how they were robbed and abused by Mexican authorities. One of them spoke briefly about how it took several Mexican officials to take his watch off his arm, because he refused to hand it over. This issue leads back to one that was described earlier in this paper, the influence organized crime has on the Mexican government. The major issue that was cited in this documentary however, is the growing number of unaccompanied children traveling to the United States. This issue has two sides to it, the social side and the political side. The first side of this issue starts at the home country of each of these children. Their government is not able or not willing to help them, and as a result they live in poverty and without access the basic human needs; water, food, shelter. This leads the children to want better for themselves and ultimately to take the decision to travel to the U.S. On the political side, the unaccompanied children are causing Mexico and the United States to spend more money on Immigration. This because they have to create more detention centers for minors, they have to house and feed them until they are deported to their country of origin. Throughout the film these issues are put into the perspective of the children. The reason the directors did this, was to show the challenges the children face as they made their journey. The reason they used that perspective is because it is a unique one. It is not every day that you hear about a 12 year old who traveled across Mexico and into the United States
The children in the story give the other people like Joana and Florian hope which drives
A violent environment and family reunification plays a vital role in driving children to abandon their home country, but crime, gang fears and hostility seem to be the strongest factors for children’s decision to emigrate. According to Elizabeth Kennedy. This is especially true for most young males, who have no other choice but to join vicious gangs, or leave their homes in hopes to find a job that allows them work half the day and focus on their education the other half in order to achieve a better opportunity of life. According to Sonia Nazario, “One in three children lists family reunification as the principal reason to depart home. Not surprisingly, over 90 % of the children she interviewed have a family member
can possibly be separated from their parents. Children suffer from their parents getting deported and not having a family member or guardian that can look out for them. Most families don’t have other family members in the U.S. because they come from other countries like Latin America and from Mexico. That leads for children to not have a second home to go to but to be put in an orphanage home. The children that get separated from their parents suffer a lot. They will no longer get to be with their fellow loved ones especially their parents. It’s not fair for parents to get deported and for their children to be left alone and not have someone to look for them or care. Who knows what will be next for those kids that are left without their parents. Kids suffer and are left with nothing but to hope one day they will reunite with their parents once
To some extent, poverty in Mexico and expansion of agribusiness in the United States forced them to cross the U.S.-Mexico border in seek
The emotional letter that Juan left for his mother might be one of the most emotional scenes in the documentary. The pure emotions that the letter was written by Juan to her mother leaves the audience with the bonds and emotions felt between the kids and families. Juan Carlos’s father abandoned the family years ago and left to New York, consequently Juan believe it is his responsibility to provide for his family. He also wants to find his father in New York and confronts him about why he has forgotten about them. The story of Juan is not just about migration of children, but also the issue of family separation. The documentary does not dehumanize but rather bring the humane and sensitive lens to the story of Juan where the human drama that these young immigrants and their families live. Juan Carlos is not the first of Esmeralda’s sons to leave for the United states, his nine-year-old brother Francisco was smuggled into California one month earlier. Francisco now lives with Gloria, his grandmother, who paid a smuggler $3,500 to bring him to Los Angeles, California. Once Juan Carlos is in the shelter for child migrants his mother eagerly awaits him outside. After she sees him she signs a paper that says if Juan Carlos tries to travel again, he will be sent to a foster home.